2020 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

The 2020 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs played their home games at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi, and competed in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by first-year head coach Mike Leach.

2020 Mississippi State Bulldogs football
Armed Forces Bowl champion
Armed Forces Bowl, W 28–26 vs. Tulsa
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionWestern Division
2020 record4–7 (3–7 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorMike Leach
Offensive schemeAir raid
Defensive coordinatorZach Arnett (1st season)
Base defense3–3–5 defense
Home stadiumDavis Wade Stadium (Capacity: 61,337)
2020 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
East Division
No. 13 Florida x  8 –2     8 –4  
No. 7 Georgia  7 –2     8 –2  
Missouri  5 –5     5 –5  
Kentucky  4 –6     5 –6  
Tennessee  3 –7     3 –7  
South Carolina  2 –8     2 –8  
Vanderbilt  0 –9     0 –9  
West Division
No. 1 Alabama x$#  10 –0     13 –0  
No. 4 Texas A&M  8 –1     9 –1  
Auburn  6 –4     6 –5  
LSU*  5 –5     5 –5  
Ole Miss  4 –5     5 –5  
Mississippi State  3 –7     4 –7  
Arkansas  3 –7     3 –7  
Championship: Alabama 52, Florida 46
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • * – ineligible for postseason due to self imposed ban
    Note: Due to COVID-19, the SEC will play a conference-only schedule.
Rankings from AP Poll.

In a season impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bulldogs compiled a 3–7 record in a 10-game all-SEC schedule. As the NCAA had waived bowl eligibility requirements for the season,[1] the Bulldogs received an invitation to the Armed Forces Bowl where they defeated Tulsa, becoming one of the few bowl teams with a losing record to record a bowl victory.

Previous season

The Bulldogs finished the 2019 regular season 6–7, 3–5 in SEC play to finish in fifth in the Western Division. They were invited to play in the Music City Bowl, where they lost against Louisville. Joe Moorhead was fired in January 2020, several days after the bowl.[2]

SEC Media Days

In the preseason media poll, Mississippi State was predicted to finish in a tie for fifth place in the West Division.[3]

Media poll (West Division)
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1Alabama660 (86)
2LSU489 (8)
3Auburn488
4Texas A&M454 (2)
T5Ole Miss238
T5Mississippi State238
7Arkansas121

Schedule

Mississippi State announced its 2020 football schedule on August 7, 2019.[4] The 2020 schedule consisted of 7 home and 5 away games in the regular season.

The Bulldogs had games scheduled against Alabama A&M, New Mexico, NC State, and Tulane, but were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][6][7]

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 262:30 p.m.at No. 6 LSU
CBSW 44–3421,124
October 36:30 p.m.ArkansasNo. 16
SECN Alt.L 14–2113,564
October 106:30 p.m.at Kentucky
SECNL 2–2412,000
October 173:00 p.m.No. 11 Texas A&M
  • Davis Wade Stadium
  • Starkville, MS
ESPNL 14–2813,142
October 316:00 p.m.at No. 2 Alabama
ESPNL 0–4119,424
November 72:30 p.m.Vanderbilt
  • Davis Wade Stadium
  • Starkville, MS
SECNW 24–1712,888
November 216:30 p.m.at No. 13 Georgia
SECNL 24–3120,524
November 283:00 p.m.at Ole Miss
SECNL 24–3116,218
December 12[a]6:30 p.m.Auburn
  • Davis Wade Stadium
  • Starkville, MS
SECNL 10–2412,986
December 192:30 p.m.Missouri
  • Davis Wade Stadium
  • Starkville, MS
SECN Alt.W 51–3211,748
December 3111:00 a.m.vs. No. 24 Tulsa*
ESPNW 28–269,000
^[a] The game between Auburn and Mississippi State was postponed due to an outbreak of COVID-19 on the Mississippi State team. The game was originally scheduled for November 14.
Schedule Source:[8]

Rankings
Further information: 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Final 
AP RV RV RV RV 16 RV RV NR  
Coaches RV RV RV RV 14 RV RV NR  
CFP Not released Not released

Game summaries

at LSU Tigers
See also: 2020 LSU Tigers football team
1 234Total
• Mississippi State 3 141017 44
No. 6 LSU 0 141010 34
  • Sources:
Pregame lineOver/under
LSU -14.557
StatisticsMississippi StateLSU
First downs2425
Total yards632425
Rushing yards980
Passing yards623345
Turnovers42
Time of possession30:2829:32
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Mississippi StatePassingK. J. Costello36–60, 623 yards, 5 TDs, 2 INT
RushingKylin Hill7 carries, 34 yards
ReceivingOsirus Mitchell7 receptions, 183 yards, 2 TDs
LSUPassingMyles Brennan27–46, 345 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
RushingChris Curry9 carries, 47 yards
ReceivingTerrace Marshall Jr.8 receptions, 122 yards, 2TD

References
  1. "DI Council approves football bowl eligibility requirements waiver". NCAA.org (Press release). October 14, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  2. "Mississippi State fires Moorhead after 2 seasons". ESPN.com. January 3, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  3. "Preseason SEC media poll, All-SEC Team announced". SECSports.com. Southeastern Conference. September 23, 2020.
  4. "2020 Football Schedule Announced". Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. August 7, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  5. Talty, John. "SEC moves to conference-only 2020 schedule, pushes back start of season". AL.com. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  6. Visser, David (July 21, 2020). "SWAC Suspends Fall Football Season". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  7. Dellenger, Ross. "Sources: SEC Adopts Conference-Only Schedule With Sept. 26 Start". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  8. "2020 Mississippi State Bulldogs Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
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